It is a book anniversary for the first book that I ever published entitled The Confidant Tells. I remember deciding to write a book back in the summer of 2013. I was sitting in the media lab where I worked as a Lab instructor and GED coach for a small local junior college. This job was my foray into the field of education. My excellent computer skills served me well. My function was primarily to aid the students in the lab with becoming efficient at the Microsoft Office Suite as well as with other software programs.
On a Tuesday in July 2013, I saw a piece on the Today Show about a woman who turned to write as a second career after a long time of being a homemaker. She inspired me to write, not for fun, but profit. Of course, I knew little about the industry and started to research as I also ventured into starting a manuscript. The economy was still in a state of flux at the time, and my teaching gig was short-lived. My fallback was going back to work in corporate America. I continued to write my story haphazardly through 2014.
Then it hit me; I needed to take this writing venture seriously and left the political web of corporate America behind. By the fall of 2014, I was on my own feverishly writing to complete my book of short romance stories. I think of the romance genre as relationship tales. I had so much to say, but I felt like time was running out. Sure, I did not devote as much time to writing after I left junior college as I should have because work always took priority over my aspirations. Another revelation unfolded. I asked myself, how can I bend over backward for a corporate job and not pull out all the stops for myself?
My dedication to researching the self-publishing industry and finishing my manuscript consumed me. I mean, I knew the book would not be a hit out of the gate. Me, being an unknown, unproven writer, and debut author made me nervous. However, all the jittered went away once the book was released and purchases out of the gate from strangers with little to no promotion. These sales gave me the confidence to start the next manuscript. I decided that I did not want to be pigeon held to one genre because I enjoy reading a variety of categories so why not write about what speaks to me.
Today, I have written, published and inspired sixteen works of my own as well as two from other authors. Am I where I would like to be? Of course not, I am well on my way as I continue to write for myself and produce the work of others. The story that started it all four years ago on March 15, 2015, The Confident Tells holds a special place in my heart. It is a collection of short stories based on three women who have different relationships with their mates. The three have one friend in common who peers through the window of their souls trying not to judge but is judgmental. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to all those who have joined the journey. Thank you for the continued support.